


Morning Song

by DixieDale



Series: Promises [6]
Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:22:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28511115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: Chief loved the early morning and had long ago established a set routine, never varying it by so much as a hair if he had any choice.  No, don't say boring!  To his mind, there was never a routine so sweet as his morning song.  And this morning, it tasted sweeter than ever.
Series: Promises [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086632
Kudos: 2





	Morning Song

Chief had awakened before dawn, as usual. That was his favorite time of day, those early morning hours when the air smelled fresh and clean, when he could stand there watching the horizon, eagerly awaiting the faint blush of sunrise, could offer up the traditional morning song taught him by his grandfather.

They hadn't awakened when he did, Casino and Lizzie, even when he'd whispered that soft "good morning, sleepy heads" under his breath with a smile. He'd slipped out of the bedroom, trod silently down to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. He didn't stay to drink it there; like always, he took it with him to enjoy their quiet sleeping presence before the time came when he'd have to hurry to be in the right position to deliver the morning song. He liked to sit between them for those few minutes, sipping his coffee, them leaving him plenty of room to do that comfortably. 

They were all three content for it to be that way, always had been, right from the beginning - him rising early, him saying those same words, "good morning, sleepy heads!", them perhaps giving a drowsy murmur at his movements, but being content to sleep on. Well, neither of them were morning people, not really, though Lizzie perhaps a little more than Casino. Chief would leave the empty cup there, half-way between them, as if to hold his place. That was a laugh, of course. Just as they knew he'd return in due time, to slide in between them again, then softly rouse them from their sleep with his teasing words, he knew they'd save his place for him. Well, they'd all promised each other, hadn't they? And they'd kept their word to each other, always.

The morning seemed so alive, the grass damp with lingering dew, the first bird calls sounding from the trees to share in his song. The sunrise was even more magnificent than usual, he thought, his song more powerful, more reverent than he ever remembered it being. As the last words, the last notes faded, he drew a deep breath, smiling at the thought of the day ahead, a day he had awaited with such anticipation.

Quickly making his way back to where his two loves slept, he eased himself down between them. They'd left him just the right amount of room, as usual, close enough he could almost feel their breath on his skin on either side, but far enough apart he could ease his way down between them easily. He stretched, enjoying the soft sounds of morning, and felt himself start to doze.

Casino broke off his rough snoring with a start. "Hey, Indian. Back already?" he yawned. "Don't know what it is with you and this break of dawn shit. Didn't your grandfather have any middle-of-the-morning songs you could start singing instead?"

Lizzie's soft chiding came from the other side. "Casino, you know this is his favorite time of day! Just because WE like to sleep a little later, there's no reason for him to just lay around waiting for us to wake up. Though how he could, the way you snore so loudly in the mornings, I don't know! I'm just lucky I can sleep through just about anything, otherwise I don't know WHAT I'd do!"

Chief smiled. Same old argument, just on a new day. How many times had he heard those same words, the same complaints? All of that was as much music to his ears as those bird songs had been earlier, probably even more.

"Hey! Whatta ya mean, snoring?! Tell her, kid, I don't snore! That's all just a figment of her imagination!"

"Pappy, you snore like a saw mill at full production," Chief said, but with a deep fondness in his voice. He loved the sound of that snoring, always had - well, except when they'd been worn out from a job and hadn't had enough sleep and those snores were keeping everyone awake. There had been times, then, he had to admit, he wouldn't have protested too much if Goniff had carried out those threats of holding a pillow over Casino's face, "just till 'e stops that ruddy noise, you see! Not enough to really 'URT 'im, you know, just enough to make 'im STOP!"

The bickering continued along familiar lines, all the way to the just-as-familiar suggestion from Lizzie. "Maybe just a few more minutes? Before we start with the rest of our day?"

"Yeah," Casino offered. "We got a busy one today, ya know; a long trip to get started on. Woulda gotten started sooner, Indian, but you had to lollygag around, holding up the works. Glad you finally got with the program."

Chief inhaled with sleepy contentment. "Yeah, me too, Pappy. Okay, Lizzie. Just a few minutes more, then we need to get moving, okay?"

And, after a few more minutes of lazing around, they opened their eyes, greeted each other with a warm embrace, and prepared for their journey.

Lynn came in the kitchen door, an odd look on her face - sad, happy, and perhaps other things mixed in.

"Lynn?" Craig asked his sister, wondering at that expression.

She looked at him, at Goniff and Meghada, and blinked the mist from her eyes.

"I went to say good morning to Actor, as usual. I found him there - Chief, I mean. Stretched out in that place they promised to save for him, right in between, like always. Just where he promised them he'd be, when the time came. His coffee cup is still there too; I left it."

And she poured herself a cup of coffee, and sat, and remembered.

The other three made their way back to the quiet spot set aside for Garrison and his Gorillas and those they had gathered to themselves.

Passing Actor, laying calmly at rest at the near corner, they stopped.

Yes, just as they'd agreed upon, the three of them, when they'd all decided on this spot. Lizzie to one side, her having taken her place first. Casino to the far side, having elected to take his rest a little less than a year ago. And Chief, in between, resting on the soft green grass, soft contented smile on his still face.

"Safe journey, brother," Meghada murmured with a damp smile. "May the road be smooth, the company sweet, and a rich homecoming awaiting at the far end."

"You figure 'e's joined up with them by now?" Goniff asked hopefully.

Craig didn't even have to think about that. "They were waiting for him with open arms, Goniff, you know that. Safe journey, you three. Maybe we'll see you again."

Goniff squinted toward the bright sun lighting up the sky. "Nice day to start a trip, you know?" He frowned just a little, though, looking off at the horizon, then up at Garrison. "You figure Lizzie can keep them two out of trouble? I mean, Chiefy, sure, but you KNOW 'ow Casino is. All this time without a fistfight, 'e's probably worked up one 'ell of an itch!"

Craig reached out and rumpled Goniff's fair hair, more silver now than blond. "I expect she'll manage just fine, Goniff. I expect they'll all manage, just fine."

**Author's Note:**

> Story 'Rebirth' tells how Lizzie, formerly 'Helen, Mrs. Major Lionel Kingston' met and became part of the menage at The Cottages.


End file.
